Friedrich I, King of Württemberg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Kingdom of Württemberg: Württemberg was a County, a Duchy, and an Electorate before becoming a Kingdom in 1806. At the end of 1805, in exchange for contributing forces to France’s armies, Napoleon, Emperor of the French recognized Württemberg as a kingdom, with Elector Friedrich formally becoming King Friedrich I  on January 1, 1806. The reign of Wilhelm II, the last King of Württemberg, came to an end in November 1918, after the fall of the German Empire led to the abdications of all the ruling families. Today the land that encompassed the Kingdom of Württemberg is located in the German state Baden-Württemberg.

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Friedrich I, King of Württemberg – source: Wikipedia

King Friedrich I was the first King of Württemberg, reigning from 1805 to 1816. He was born Friedrich Wilhelm Karl, on November 6, 1754, at the Treptow Palace in Treptow an der Rega, Pomerania (now Trzebiatów, Poland), the eldest child of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and Margravine Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Friedrich had eleven siblings:

At the time of his birth, Friedrich was fourth in line to become Duke of Württemberg, behind his grandfather (the reigning Duke), his two childless uncles, and his father. However, his grandfather did not include any of his family in the government of the dukedom, so Freidrich set out on a military career in the Prussian court of King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia. He entered the Prussian Army in June 1774 and fought in the War of the Bavarian Succession.

Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. source: Wikipedia

On October 15, 1780, in Brunswick, Friedrich married Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. She was the daughter of Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and Princess Augusta of Great Britain. Her younger sister Caroline later married the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. Friedrich and Augusta had four children:

Catherine the Great. source: Wikipedia

In 1781, Friedrich resigned from the Prussian Army and joined his sister Sophie and her husband in Russia. The Russian Empress Catherine the Great was intrigued with Friedrich and named him Governor-General of Eastern Finland.

Despite a quickly expanding family, Friedrich’s marriage to Augusta was not happy. While visiting St. Petersburg in 1786, Augusta sought refuge from Catherine the Great, claiming that Friedrich was violent to her and was having physical relationships with several men. The Empress took Augusta in and strongly suggested to Friedrich that he leave the country. After Augusta’s father refused to permit a divorce, Empress Catherine gave her refuge at Koluvere Castle in Estonia. The Empress also provided a caretaker, with whom Augusta soon began an affair and became pregnant. Just after giving birth prematurely in September 1788, Augusta died as a result of complications from the birth.

Charlotte, Princess Royal. source: Wikipedia

The following year, on May 18, 1797, at St. James’s Palace in London, England, Friedrich married again to Charlotte, Princess Royal. She was the eldest daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They had one stillborn daughter born in 1798.

Upon his father’s death in December 1797, Friedrich became Duke of Württemberg. Two years later, Friedrich and his family fled to Vienna when the French forces occupied Württemberg. When the empire was reorganized following France’s annexation of the west bank of the Rhine, Württemberg was raised to an Electorate and Friedrich became Elector on February 25, 1803.

In exchange for providing France with a large armed force, Napoleon allowed Friedrich to raise Württemberg to a kingdom in 1805. He formally became King of Württemberg on January 1, 1806, and was crowned that day in Stuttgart. Friedrich quickly left the Holy Roman Empire and joined the Confederation of the Rhine. To recognize the new alliance between Friedrich and Napoleon, a marriage was arranged between Friedrich’s daughter Catharina and Napoleon’s younger brother Jérôme Bonaparte. Despite being on opposite sides from his father-in-law, King George III of the United Kingdom, Friedrich used his family connections to serve as a mediator between Britain and other foreign powers.

Friedrich changed his alliance during the 1813 War of Liberation and sided with the Allies, capitalizing on his close relationship with the British and Russian rulers. His position as King of Württemberg was confirmed at the Congress of Vienna, after which he joined the newly formed German Confederation.

In the fall of 1816, King Friedrich developed pneumonia and died in Stuttgart on October 30, 1816. He is buried in the Royal Crypt in the Schlosskirche at Ludwigsburg Palace in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

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